The present invention relates to image-processing apparatus, image-processing method, image-processing program and image-recording apparatus.
Recently, when developing a photographic image or producing additional prints of the photographic image, there has been conducted such a processing that an image formed on either a color photographic film or a photographic printing paper are converted to a plurality of image signals by transmitting or reflecting three primary colors of R, G, B through/from the image, and by photoelectrically reading the image with the CCD (Charge Coupled Device) sensor, etc.
After having been subjected to various types of image processing represented by negative/positive reversal, brightness adjustment, color balance adjustment, removal of granular noise and enhancement of sharpness, such image signals are distributed through such media as a CD-R, floppy (R) disk and memory card or via the Internet, and are outputted as hard copy images on silver halide photographic paper by an inkjet printer, thermal printer or the like. Alternatively, such image signals are displayed on the medium such as CRT, liquid crystal display or plasma display to be viewed.
Incidentally, when the negative or positive photographic films, photographic prints, etc. are roughly handled or stored under a bad condition, sometimes scars are formed on the surface of them, or various kinds of dirt, such as dusts, fingerprints, etc., are adhered to them. Such the defects of the recording medium refract and/or absorb the image reading light, and therefore, influence the image signals so as to cause image defects of the reproduced image.
Such the defects of the recording medium impede the transmission of the infrared radiation light, while the other parts of the recording medium permit the transmission of the infrared radiation light regardless of the presence or absence of a colored area. By employing this phenomenon, image signals of a pixel corresponding to the defect of the recording medium have been compensated for, based on the infrared image signals acquired by scanning the recording medium with the infrared radiation light other than the image reading light (for instance, set forth in Patent Document 1). According to the abovementioned method, a pixel, at which the signal intensity of the infrared image signal exceeds a certain threshold level, is determined as a defect pixel. Then, when an image signal is larger than the certain threshold level, the defect pixel is compensated for by dividing the concerned image signal by the infrared image signal, while, when an image signal is smaller than the certain threshold level, the defect pixel is compensated for by an interpolation processing based on the signal intensities of the pixels located around the periphery of the defect pixel.
Patent Document 1: Tokkaihei 6-28468 (JP2559970)
According to the abovementioned conventional method for compensating for the defect pixel as set forth in Patent Document 1, however, although it has been possible to compensate for the defect pixel, contained in a flat image, such as, for instance, a wall image, etc., in which colors and brightness slightly change, in a state of keeping continuity with the non-defect pixels without any problem, it has been impossible to eliminate discontinuity between the defect pixel and the non-defect pixels even when compensation processing is applied for such an image as a close-up human face, etc., having a very fine image structure, resulting in occurrence of discontinuity which might yields slight unevenness in the image, and such the unevenness cause a sense of incongruity for face expressions, a feel of material, etc.